The present invention relates to apparatus for transporting cigarettes, filter rod sections, cigars, cigarillos or analogous rod-shaped articles which constitute or form part of smokers' products. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for sidewise transport of rod-shaped articles between one or more first machines (e.g., cigarette or filter rod making machines) and one or more second machines (e.g., one or more filter tipping machines). Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the type wherein at least one reservoir can take up the surplus of rod-shaped articles when the output of the first machine or machines exceeds the requirements of the second machine or machines and the reservoir or reservoirs assist or replace the first machine or machines in satisfying the requirements of the second machine or machines when such requirements exceed the output of the first machine or machines.
It is already known to combine one or more first-in last-out reservoirs (also called surge bins) with an apparatus which supplies rod-shaped articles from one or more first machines (hereinafter called maker(s) or producing machine(s)) to one or more second machines (hereinafter called processing or consuming machine(s)). Each reservoir has a mobile floor and an end wall which is movable with the floor toward or away from a single inlet-outlet opening of the reservoir. The opening communicates with the path along which the articles move sideways from the producing machine(s) to the processing machine(s), and the floor is set in motion whenever the output of the producing machine(s) exceeds the requirements of the processing machine(s) or vice versa so as to increase the capacity of the respective reservoir when the processing machine(s) cannot accept the entire output of the producing machine(s) and to reduce the capacity of the respective reservoir (and to thus expel articles into the aforementioned path) when the requirements of the processing machine(s) exceed the output of the producing machine(s). Such apparatus can be used with advantage between producing machines which turn out plain or filter tipped cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos or simple or multiplex filter rod sections and processing machines which pack or produce multiplex filters, filter tipped cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos.
It is often desirable to directly couple at least one producing machine (e.g., a filter rod making machine which turns out filter rod sections of selected length) with at least one processing machine (e.g., a filter tipping machine wherein filter rod sections and plain cigarettes are united or assembled to form filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length). Alternatively, plain cigarettes or filter cigarettes are often transported directly to a packing machine. This creates problems in the event of malfunctioning of the producing or processing machine because, in the absence of a suitable reservoir system, each (even very short-lasting) stoppage of the producing machine necessitates an immediate stoppage of the processing machine or vice versa. German Offenlegungsschrift No. 25 20 116 discloses a surge bin which can accept a portion or the entire output of one or more producing machines when the processing machine(s) cannot accept any or cannot accept all of the produced articles. The mobile floor of the surge bin is set in motion when a suitable sensor ascertains that the output of the producing machine(s) is excessive or that the requirements of the processing machine(s) exceed the output. The position of the end wall which is attached to the mobile floor determines the momentary capacity of the surge bin. It has been found that surge bins of the just outlined character are capable of compensating for short-lasting deviations between the output of one or more producing machines and the requirements of one or more processing machines. However, it is necessary to resort to extremely large, bulky and expensive surge bins when the deviations between the output of the producing machine(s) and the requirements of the processing machine(s) are substantial, especially when each producing machine can turn out at least one hundred articles per second and the requirements of each processing machine can amount to several hundred articles per second. The complexity of large surge bins rises proportionally with the lack of space or with the lack of space in immediate proximity to the shortest path between the producing machine(s) and the processing machine(s). For example, German Auslegeschrift No. 25 46 599 discloses a surge bin with a zig-zag shaped mobile floor, and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 19 57 002 discloses a surge bin having a floor whose sections form several superimposed loops. This contributes to the cost of the surge bin and renders it prone to malfunctioning because the transport of rod-shaped articles along a zig-zag shaped, meandering or like complex path affords numerous additional opportunities for jamming as a result of crushing of one or more conveyed articles, pronounced wear upon the moving parts of the surge bin, problems in connection with suspension or other form of mounting the component parts of the surge bin, absence of convenient access to certain portions of the surge bin and/or the impossibility of entrusting the maintenance, supervision or repair work to semiskilled or unskilled attendants.